LOCATION WHITEBIRD NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Leptic Natrustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Whitebird fine sandy loam on a northeast facing slope of 9 percent in native grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
E--4 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine platy; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Btn--6 to 12 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) moist; strong medium columnar structure parting to moderate medium and fine angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots along faces of peds; column tops coated with light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) E material; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bky--12 to 22 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) loamy fine sand, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and medium gypsum
crystals; common fine irregularly shaped masses of carbonates; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
Cr--22 to 60 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) soft sandstone bedrock, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; massive; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sioux County, North Dakota; about 22 miles west of Selfridge; 300 feet south and 200 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 31, T. 130 N., R. 85 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to soft sandstone bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to accumulations of visible salt or gypsum ranges from 10 to 16 inches.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It is strongly acid to moderately alkaline.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loamy fine sand, fine sand, fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loamy sand. It is strongly acid to moderately alkaline.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It has strong fine to coarse columnar structure. It is neutral to strongly alkaline.
The Bky horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand. It has few to many salt and or gypsum crystals. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline. Some pedons have By, Bkyz, Bkz and Byz horizons. Combined thickness of these horizons ranges from 0 to 16 inches. Some pedons have Bk or BCy horizons.
Some pedons have a C horizon above the Cr horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Lakota and Lemert series. These soils do not have soft bedrock at depths of less than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whitebird soils are on level to strongly sloping uplands. Slope gradients commonly are 1 to 9 percent but range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in residuum weathered from alkaline soft sandstone. Mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 13 to 17 inches. Most of the precipitation comes in the spring and summer.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Lakota soils and the Desart, Dogtooth, Ekalaka, Evridge, Flasher, Janesburg, Parshall, Telfer and Vebar soils. Desart, Ekalaka and Lakota soils are on nearby foot slopes, swales and terraces. Evridge soils are on positions similar to Whitebird soils. Desart, Ekalaka and Evridge soils do not have visible gypsum or salt crystals within depths of 16 inches. Dogtooth and Janesburg soils are on positions similar to Whitebird soils. They are fine. Flasher, Parshall, Telfer and Vebar soils are on nearby uplands. They do not have natric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to medium depending upon slope. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in native grass and used for range and pasture. Native vegetation is short-and mid-prairie grasses such as blue grama, inland saltgrass, western wheatgrass, sedges and prickly pear.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern North Dakota and possibly northwestern South Dakota. The soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sioux County, North Dakota, 1992.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 12 inches after mixing (A, E and Btn horizons); natric horizon - the zone from 6 to 12 inches (Btn horizon); leptic criteria - visible gypsum at 12 inches (Bky horizon).